Hoisting and conveying mechanism.



R. ELDER & W. T. KRAUSGH. HOISTING AND CONVEYING MECHANISM.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 29,1909.

Patented Dec. 29, 1914.

4 BHEETS SHEET 1 HF NORRIS PEI'ERSCO.,PHOTOLITH(1.. WASHINGION. n. r

R. ELDER 6; W. T. KRAUSGH.

HOISTING AND CONVEYING MECHANISM.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 29, 1909.

Patented Dec. 29, 1914.

4 SHEETSSHEET2.

THE NORRIS PETERS 60.. PHOTO-LITHQ. WASHINGTON. D. C.

R. ELDER & W. T. KRAUSCH. HOISTING AND CONVEYING MECHANISM.

APPLICATION FILED 111113.29, 1909.

1,1 22,708, Patented Dec. 29, 1914.

4 SHEETS-$311111 3.

@ WW WW aw- THE NORRIS PETERS CD.. PHOT0-LITHO.. WASHINGTON D. I

R. ELDER & W. T. KRAUSGH. HOISTING AND CONVEYING MECHANISM.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 29, 1909.

Patented Dec. 29, 1914.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 4.

' UNITED STATES PATENT @FFfQE.

ROBERT ELDER AND TR A'LTEB T. KRAUSCH, OF LA GRANGE, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNORS TO FAIR-BANKS, MORSE 8: COMPANY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF ILLI- HOISTING AND CONVEYING MECHANISM.

Application filed-March 29, 1909.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that we, Ronnn'r ELDER and lVAL'rni-i T. KRAUsoH, citizens of the United States, both residing at La Grange, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Hoisting and Uonveying Mechanism, of which the following is a specification.

Our invention relates to mechanism for hoisting and conveying over bins or other storage space any material such as coal and the like and the object thereof is to provide novel and efficient mechanism for automatically receiving the material from a chute into a bucket or the like, hoisting the same and then conveying the material over the bin or other storage space, such material being automatically unloaded at any predetermined point with respect to the bin or storage space. The various features of novelty and utility in our new mechanism will be apparent from the description hereinafter given.

1n the drawings Figure l is a sectional elevation on the line 11 of Fig. 2 of one of the complete systems of mechanism in which our invention may be embodied; Fig. 2 a sectional elevation on the line 22 of Fig. 1; Fig. 3 aside elevation on a larger scale of the bucket and the trolley illustrating the same in engagement for the conveying of the material over the storage space or bin; Fig. l an elevation of the trolley by itself; Fig. 5 an end elevation of the trolley showing portions thereof in section; Fig. 6 an end elevation of the bucket on a still larger scale; and Fig. 7 a side elevation of a portion of such bucket together with parts that cooperate with the trolley.

Before describing our invention in detail, we wish it understood that the same may be embodied in different forms of system or structure and particularly that a series of our new mechanism may be employed in a single plant although a single mechanism comprising a plant having a single bucket and a single trolley embodies all the main features of our invention. Consequently, whereas in the present instance we have illustrated a complete plant of considerable proportionsinvolving the use of four mechanisms, that is four buckets and cooperating parts which are operated in pairs, it will be understood that the invention resides in the Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 29 1914.

Serial No. 486,594.

construction and mode of operation of a single bucket and its trolley, the complete system being herein illustrated to show the possibilities of our invention in plants of any size, the smaller sized plants being obvious from an explanation of the larger size herein shown. Moreover, while the material handled by the mechanism is usually coal it will be understood that such mechanism may be employed for handling any other material capable of being introduced into the bucket and discharged therefrom. Furthermore while our invention is shown in connection with storage bins it will be understood that the same is applicable to any other type of storage space.

Referring to the illustrated embodiment of our invention the mechanism comprises, speaking in general terms, a hoisting and conveying bucket 1 adapted to cooperate With a trolley 2 which is adapted to travel upon a track 3 extending over the storage bins indicated generally at 4:, the material being hoisted by the bucket as far as the trolley which engages such bucket and conveys the same to the desired place of discharge or dumping of the material into the bins. In the present instance the loading and unloading or discharge of the bucket is automatic, the same being loaded while in its lowermost position within the pit 5 and in position to receive coal from the hopper 6 and the same discharging its load in automatic manner at any predetermined point along the track 3. We do not herein claim the construction of the hoisting bucket so far as the automatic loading operation is concerned as we have made that the subject matter of a previous application for patent, filed on August 3, 1908, Serial No. l-l6,53l. The details of the bucket will therefore be described only so far as is necessary for an understanding of our present invention.

The bucket 1 is provided with a bail 7 having pin-and-slot connection with the body of the bucket by means of the slots 7 in such bail and the short pins or studs 8 extending laterally from opposite sides of such bucket. The bucket is also provided on said sides with rollers 9 adapted to travel in the vertical tracks 10 extending from the loading pit upwardly. The bucket cooperates with an automatic gate 11, controlling the flow of the material from the hopper into the bucket, such gate being so constructed that its counterweight 12 holds it in closed position. However, when the bucket is lowered to loading position a roller 13 on a bracket 14 projecting from the bail 7 strikes the frame 15 of the gate and thereby opens such gate against the force of the counter weight whereupon the material will flow from the hopper into the bucket. lVhen the bucket, after being filled, is hoisted, the gate is automatically closed to prevent further flow of the material from the hopper.

For hoisting purposes the bail .7 of the bucket is provided on its upper cross portion with a sheave 16 under which is passed the rope or cable 17, one end of which is permanently secured to the trolley at'the point 18. Following this rope or cable to the other end thereof the same passes over a sheave 19 journaled in the trolley, passes longitudi nally adjacent such track, around a sheave 20 near the far end of the track, back horizontally to a sheave 21, thence downwardly to a sheai e 22 and thence around a winding drum 23 which is power-actuated in suitable manner and which engages the bi'ght of the rope, as seen in Fig. 2. In the present instance wherein a plurality of buckets and trolleys are used, the same are arranged in pairs comprising two separate buckets and trolleys but operating with a single length of rope or cable and so arranged that while one bucket is moving upwardly with its load the other is returning empty to its loading place. Consequently, this same rope orcable continues over similar sheaves in the reverse order named to the trolley similar to the trolley 2 which represents the companion trolley to that shown in Fig. 1. t

The trolley and its bucket are so constructed and arranged as to engage with the minimum shock and jar, thereby avoiding difficulties experienced in other systems and moreover moving parts are dispensed with as far as possible so that the wear of. the mechanism is materially reduced. The novel and peculiar action of the bucket and its trolley in their automatic engagement and disengagement will be apparent after the description of the details of said parts.

The trolley comprisesa frame consisting of parallel vertical'plates 2 in which are journaled the trolley wheels 21 cooperating with said track 3. These side plates are provided'with deep recesses 2 entering from the lower righthand corner thereof as seen in Figs. 1, 3 and t,which recesses. are provided with hooks 2 for engaging the bucket in the manner to be described. When the bucket is hoisted by the movement of the cable 17 toward the left, Fig. 1, the bail thereof will enter the recesses 2 of the trolley,such recesses being open from below particularly for the reason that the righthand end or hoisting end of the track 3, Fig. 1, is inclined more nearly to the vertical than the remainder of the track above the bins. thus entered said recess the trolley will at once start to move without material shock or jar and asvsoon as it has passed beyond that portion of the trackwith the sharper inclination the, hooks 2 will swing underneath the depending portion 7' of the bail and will be held in engagement with the trolley in the manner clearly indicated in Fig. 3. This engagement takes place without any shock inasmuch as the relative movement of the bucket bail and trolley to said engaging position is a gradual one inasmuch as the bail is permitted to come to such position only as permitted by the amount of pull in the rope or cable and by the inclination of the track. When the trolley enters upon the more horizontal portion of the track 3 the pull upon the cable is somewhat slackened which will gradually let the bail of the" bucket down into engagement with the hooks of the trolley, such movement be ing obviously gradual inasmuch as the pull on'the cable continues but to a slightly less degree. The provision of greater inclination to the trolley track at the right-hand or starting end thereof is important, such inclination being such that the horizontal pull of the hoisting rope necessary to hoist the bucket is less than the pull which is necessary to move the trolley up the incline and hence until the bail contacts with the trolley the latter remains stationary in its extreme starting position. However, when the bail does contact with the trolley, the latter at once starts up the incline as stated and upon reaching the curve in the trolley track formed'by the different inclinations thereof, the bucket swinging in practically a vertical plane, the cross portion or supporting member of the bail is gradually brought over into a position immediately above said re cesses in the trolley frame. lVhen the trolley in its travel reaches a point on the curved track where the stress in the hoisting rope isless than half the weight of the bucket and its load, that is practically when the trolley reaches that portion of the track of the lesser inclination, the bail drops away from contact with the trolley and the bucket is lowered into that portion of the recess behind the hook with the result that the bucket and trolley are in secure engagement :without the use of movablelocks or looking devices as commonly employed, which are a source of much trouble inasmuch as they are always subject to excessive, wear and are comparatively expensive, besides which they occasionally fail to operate. Inasmuch as the curve in the trolley trackis gradual the lowering of the bucketto its engaging position is gradual, the bucket not being dropped into the hook but coming torest without jar. It will be understoodthatthe After the bail of the bucket has hoist speed of the bucket duringits vertical travel is but one half that of the cable which is hoisting itbut that after the bucket arrives at the trolley, the speed thereof at once becomes equal to the speed of the rope. This is a desirable feature inasmuch as it increases the handling capacity without increasing the size of the motor or other source of power, for the power required to hoist the bucket is much greater than that required to move it horizontally.

As hereinbefore stated the bucket in-the present instance is designed to be automatically discharged and this at any predetermined point over the bins. It is evident that the proper way to discharge such material as coal in order to prevent breakage as much as possible is to begin filling one side of the bin and then move the discharging point gradually so that the material will fall upon the inclined face of the material. We make provisions in our mechanism for accomplishing these results by providing both for the automatic discharging of the bucket and the regulating or adjustment of the point of discharge at any place along the travel of the trolley on the track 3.

As shown in Figs. 3 and 6 the bucket is provided at its lower end with a hinged door 25 having'at opposite sides a suitable system of toggles or links 26, and 27, the first-named links being connected to vertical chains 29 extending on opposite sides of the bucket and upwardly as far as the cross portion of the bucket bail where the same are connected to levers 30 and the links 27 being pivoted at 28 to the sides of the bucket. These levers are inclined upwardly and inwardly as shown in Fig. 6 and provided at their outer ends with rollers 31 having beveled or inclined hearing surfaces. These rollers cooperate with tripper arms 32 mounted on a rock shaft 33 in such position that when such arms are rocked downwardly they will contact the rollers 31 and thereby break the toggle and permit the weight of the material within the bucket to open the door. This rock shaft is operated automatically by the contact of the tripper lever 34 secured thereto and extending upwardly in a posi tion to be acted upon by atripper 35 which is adjustable in position relative to the bins or storage space. It will be understood that this tripper 35 may be adjusted to any predetermined position in suitable manner but as one practical arrangement we herein show the said tripper as secured to a cable 36 whose main portion runs longitudinally of the track 3 and between the pair of pulleys 3 and extends forwardly and over a sheave 37 and then downwardly to any suitable winding drum indicated more or less generally at 38, which drum is under the control of the operator. This cable extends over another sheave 39 at the rear end of the track 3 and is connected to a counter-f weight 40 so that the cable may be'kept taut and moved rearwardly whenever the windingdrum 38 so permits. It is obvious that the operator may adjust the position of the tripper 35 by winding the drum 38 in one direction or the other.

Under our new system and construction the buckets have both vertical and horizontal or approximately horizontal travel with the result that the points of delivery are almost without limit and bins of any size may be filled. This is a considerable advantage as compared with the use of buckets traveling singly only where the amount of material capable of being stored and handled is limited. Moreover, we are enabled not only to operate over a storage space of great capacity but to automatically dis charge the buckets at any desired or predetermined point of the horizontal or substantially horizontal travel of the trolleys and buckets.

The reverse movement of the trolley and bucket will now be readily understood, particularly the automatic disengagement of the bucket from the trolley. After the trolley and bucket have arrived at the desired extreme limit of their travel and the bucket has been discharged, the movement of the motor or other source of power imparted to the winding drum 23 is reversed and be cause of the inclination of the trolley track to the horizontal, the trolley carrying the bucket moves down the track and when it runs upon that portion at the extreme righthand end, Fig. 1, having the greater inclination the stress in the hoisting rope or cable increases because of the pull of gravity. As a result the bail is lifted upwardly from its engagement with the hook and swings away therefrom and out of the recesses in the trolley frame. It will be understood that the trolley is limited in its extreme right-hand movement by any suitable stop on the track beam or if desired by the portion 4C1 of the frame as seen in Fig. 1. The bucket now being disengaged from the trolley drops away therefrom and into the pit to receive another load in the manner already described.

The foregoing description applies to a system or construction consisting of a single bucket and trolley and associated parts and applies as well. to the complete system or plant herein illustrated in which four buckets and trolleys and associated parts are provided and arranged in two pairs. According to this construction, as will be evident from an examination of Figs. 1 and 2, the movements of the members of the same pair alternate, that is to say, when one of the buckets of a pair is moving in loaded condition the other one oftha-tpair is moving in empty condition. However,the invention is the same whether the bucket and trolley be used singly or in the plurality and also when used in pairs either singly or in the plurality. I

We claim:

1. In hoisting apparatus, the combination of a bucket having a bail, a sheave located at the middle point'of such bail, a track, a trolley comprising a frame consisting oftwo parallel plates on either side of the track and each plate having a recess portion 2 and a hook portion 2, wheels bearing in the frame and arranged to travel on the track, a sheave bearing in the rearward portion of the frame and between the plates, a cable secured to the forward portion of the frame and in advance of the hook portion, said cable passing below the sheave on the bucket and over the other sheave, and means for operating the cable, said hook portion of the plates being arranged to engage the bail of the bucket on either side of its sheave.

2. In hoisting apparatus, the combination of a bucket having a bail, a sheave located at the middle point of such bail, a track, a trolley comprising a frame consisting of two parallel plates on either side of the track and each plate having a recess portion 2 and a hook portion 2, wheels hearing in the frame and arranged to travel on the track, a sheave bearing in the rearward portion of the frame and between the plates, a cable secured to the forward portion of the frame and in advance of the hook portion, said cable passing below the sheave on the bucket and over the other sheave, and

sheave shoulders 7", said hook portion of I the plates beingarranged to engage said shoulders.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for 3. In a device of the class described, the combination of a hoisting bucket, a. substantially horizontal track intercepting the line of hoist, a trolley arranged to travel upon said track and adapted to engage the operatively connected at their outer ends with said toggles, a'trip lever pivoted on the trolley, a pair of arms operatively connected with the trip lever and adapted to cooperate with said pair of levers, an adjustable tripper against which the trip lever is adapted to come into contact in the movement of the trolley to cause the discharge of the bucket contents, and means for raising and lowering the bucket to and from the trolley.

4;. In a device of the class described, the combination of a hoisting bucket, a substantially horizontal track intercepting the line of hoist, a trolley arranged to travel upon said track and adapted to engage the bucket when hoisted and to convey the same along the track, said bucket having a discharge door, means for operating said door including a pair of levers pivoted upon the bucket, a trip lever pivoted on the trolley, a pair of arms operatively connected with the trip lever and adapted to cooperate with said pair of levers, an adjustable tripper against which the trip lever is adapted to come into contact in the movement of the trolley to cause the discharge of the bucket contents, and means for raising and lowering said bucket to and from the trolley.

ROBERT ELDER. WALTER T. KRAUSCH. Vitnesses WM. F. ANDERsoN, H. B. SAUERMAN.

five cents each,'by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. O. 

